Stroudsburg council sees the 'boot' as a good fit

Drivers with multiple outstanding parking citations in the Borough of Stroudsburg are getting the "boot."

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By CHRISTINA TATU

poconorecord.com

By CHRISTINA TATU

Posted May. 2, 2013 at 12:01 AM

By CHRISTINA TATU
Posted May. 2, 2013 at 12:01 AM

» Social News

Drivers with multiple outstanding parking citations in the Borough of Stroudsburg are getting the "boot."

The clamp, which locks around one tire and prevents a car from moving, will be placed on the vehicles of drivers with five or more outstanding tickets that are more than 30 days old, or those who default on their payment plan for those outstanding tickets.

Borough Council President Kim Diddio, Mayor Charlie Baughman, and members Matt Abell, Joanne Kochanski and Boyd Weiss approved the ordinance at Wednesday's council meeting.

Members Kathi Lockwood, Eric Scelza and Neil Allen were absent from the meeting.

About 68 percent of the borough's parking citations are for expired meters, according to borough officials.

Tickets for parking at an expired meter start off at a fine of $5, but if the offender waits more than 10 days to pay, the fine jumps to $25.

Drivers with tickets that have been unpaid for 20 days or longer could have to appear before the local magistrate and are then liable for court costs on top of the fines they've accumulated, said Lynn Heimbach, Stroudsburg Borough's parking enforcement officer.

In 2012, the borough raised $171,490.50 from parking tickets and $334,030.12 from meter revenues.

Borough officials had discussed a booting ordinance in the past, but were worried about their liability if the boot damaged the vehicle, said Stroudsburg Borough Manager Cathryn Thomas.

The issue came to light after it was brought to the council's attention that one local resident owes about $7,000 in parking tickets, officials said at Wednesday's meeting.

Ticket scofflaws take up a parking space that someone else could be using. If they are parked in the space for a long time, they block the street sweeper, and in the winter they block the snow plow, Weiss said.

Adding to the difficulty of prosecuting offenders is that Stroudsburg is a college town, and many offenders who amass tickets are driving their parents' vehicles.

Sometimes the vehicle is registered to a vacation home or a home out of state, which can make it difficult to track down the owner, Diddio said.

There was limited public comment at Wednesday's hearing on the booting ordinance.

According to the ordinance, once the boot is applied, it will remain on the vehicle for at least 48 hours, unless the offender has complied and paid the fines, costs and fees associated with their outstanding tickets before that time, or paid the collateral required for his or her appearance before a district magistrate.

If such compliance does not occur within 72 hours, the vehicle will be towed and impounded. Towing and vehicle storage fees will be the owner's responsibility.

The owner will also be responsible for paying a $50 "booting fee" if it is applied to their vehicle.

One audience member asked why not just tow the vehicle instead of applying the boot at all.

Putting on the boot will secure the vehicle and allow borough officials to get in contact with the owner before immediately having to go through the expense of towing it, Thomas said.

Council Vice President Neil Allen, who pleaded guilty to heroin possession and was fined $2,500 by a Magisterial District Judge on Monday, has remained absent from the borough's meetings.

Allen was caught buying heroin in Kay's Tavern parking lot in March.

As of Wednesday evening, the council still had not heard from Allen since his March 17 arrest, Diddio said.

The council has no recourse for removing Allen from the board.

The Pennsylvania Borough Code, which governs the removal of council members, used to allow for the removal of council members if they missed a certain number of meetings, but that code was repealed by the state last May, Diddio said.